Jasprit Bumrah has rejoined the Indian cricket team following a brief hiatus from the Asia Cup to witness the birth of his first child. His journey took him from Mumbai to Colombo, where he arrived in the early hours of September 8, in anticipation of India’s Super Four encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan scheduled for September 10 in the capital city.
Bumrah’s temporary departure was prompted by his paternal responsibilities after the group-stage match against Pakistan in Pallekele on September 2, which ended in a no-result due to relentless rain. Consequently, he sat out of India’s subsequent group game against Nepal on September 4, making way for Mohammed Shami. The Indian team clinched a resounding victory over Nepal by ten wickets in a rain-shortened contest, securing their place in the Super Four.
The pace maestro, Jasprit Bumrah, will rejoin the Indian squad’s practice session at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday evening. The team is expected to practice indoors due to an unfavorable weather forecast, indicating potential rain. However, the weather has shown signs of improvement in the evenings, offering a glimmer of hope for outdoor practice.
Additionally, a reserve day has been added to the India-Pakistan Super Four clash on September 11, originally a non-game day. Initially, only the tournament final, scheduled for September 17, had a reserve day. However, consistent rainfall in Colombo, which affected both of India’s previous matches, led to this adjustment. The reserve day will come into play if the scheduled game cannot be completed on the original day due to weather interference. On the reserve day, the match will either begin anew or resume from where it was halted on the previous day.
Despite not being monsoon season in Sri Lanka, the Colombo weather forecast remains unfavorable, with an 85 percent chance of precipitation on September 9, during Sri Lanka and Bangladesh’s Super Four match, and a 90 percent chance on September 10, the day of the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash. While the ACC briefly considered relocating the tournament to venues like Dambulla and Hambantota, logistical challenges and fans’ prior arrangements compelled them to keep the matches in Colombo.
Also, see:
Asia Cup 2023 Super 4: Playing conditions for Pakistan vs India reserve day
